Shout out to those who begin again even when it's soooo hard!
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I started to lose weight healthily for the first time in April 2014. I was losing steadily and on target each week by using MFP and lost over 2 stones. Life "got in the way" and for nearly 4 months from September I lost my way rather than my weight!
I re-started 29 days ago and have since lost 9lbs. I've taken a photo of my face to see the difference, which is what I was doing for motivation previously, and it's SUCH a great way to reward yourself.
Keep at it folks! If there's a blip in the road, then remember, it's just that, a blip! You'll get back on track when you're ready.
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Hey, all!
Thanks so much for all your "not giving up!" stories and snippets.
When I wrote the OP, I realized many people may relate to that from a viewpoint of weight loss.
For me, weight loss is not so much my focus. For certain reasons, I struggle with emotional eating as a coping mechanism to cover anger and sadness and to keep negative thoughts and feelings at bay.
For most of my life, I was unaware that this is what I've been doing.
Starting again, in terms of my own experience, means breaking the cycle of emotional eating by: 1) developing more awareness that I'm even doing it 2) acknowledging and accepting that, at this time, it still occasionally occurs and will continue to do so until I address the underlying issue and find suitable alternative coping strategies 3) develop and practice new coping strategies 4) being gentle and kind to myself, including positive self talk, when things feel hard and I feel slow and I want to cover up those negative feelings with food.
Something that someone recently told me that I found extremely helpful:
"The healing process is not linear, as much as we want it to be. It would be easier to move from one thing to the next and so on until we are healed. But instead, the healing process is more like going up a spiral staircase. You go around and around, moving through the same struggles again and again...but you are getting closer to where you want to be."
This was great for me, because it spoke to my own thoughts and experiences. Although I recognized I still have difficulties, I do have to stop every now and again to see how far I've come.
If you want to know more about my personal experiences, you can check out my profile. Within I reference two audiobooks that have become great resources for me.
And although many people have heard that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...not so many people think about how many of those miles are made up of:
- Wandering around because the traveler has no clue of where they are going...they only know they don't want to stay where they are.
- Retraced steps when the traveler hits a dead end and has to turn around.
- Retraced steps when the traveler unintentionally heads right back in the direction they came from, only to, sooner or later, figure out that is NOT where they want to head.
- Expanses of new, challenging and totally unfamiliar territory.
- Terrain that allows the traveler to exercise underutilized muscles and develop strength and surety.
And
- Hundreds of thousands of moments of decisions that may seem irrelevant at the time, but ultimately add up to being exactly what gets the traveler to where they are going.
Best to you all!
~M.C. Turtle0 -
My best friend & her husband & their two kids are staying with me. Its super hard when you're not the only one buying/preparing food... I have gained 7lbs since the beginning of Dec. Today is my restart day! I am determined to reach my '100lb mark' by the middle of March. Wish me luck! 0
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I'm back too.
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Hi everybody, it's a restart for me too! "Life begins each morning... Each morning is the open door to a new world-new vistas, new aims, new tryings." I love this quote by Leigh Hodges and I thought that I would share.0
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"Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
'I will try again tomorrow.'"
- Mary Anne Radmacher
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I'm restarting as well. I originally lost about 65 lbs but gained it all back after graduating college. I have been trying to start back but I am now actually committing to it. Here's to starting over, another 65 lbs to lose, and well on it's way0
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Welcome all! Thanks for sharing your stories! Today I made my first nutriblast and I am surprised it was very light but very filling?! The fiber from the fruits and veggies really filled me up for hours- it was only 228 calories but I got my 7 servings in for the whole day in that one drink! That's a first ever for me to get 7 servings. I really think I've found my nutritional savior alongside m f p and hearing from everyone . I had a snow day today and invested the time in reading the book that came w my nb rx. I made some cheat sheets of anti inflammation recipes and taped them in the cupboard door over the machine for easy access. I can see now how making one every night will set me up for the next two days lunch. I am eager to see the impact of this huge dietary and nutritional change in my fibromyalgia and weight loss progress. I am feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time about this-that it is a sustainable lifestyle change.0
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I lost 40 in 2013, gained back about half, and started back in again with New Year. Down 14 lbs and determine to get to my goal size this time, we got this!!0
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Here's to making it a lifestyle!! I'm constantly starting over then doing great for a while then just totally falling off the wagon. This time it feels different - don't want to jinx myself but it does! Good luck to you all with the same frustrating problem!0 -
I am with you...I started back again today. we can do it this time!0
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That is why this time around I am focused on..."Not gaining any weight" It is working and I have lost 9 pounds but a lot slower.
To the best in all of us all, "Cheers!"0 -
Found this today:"The phoenix must burn to emerge.” - Janet Fitch. It fits, it truly truly does.0
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What I've decided - and this has worked, is that if I'm facing a tough period, a period of masses of social plans that I want to enjoy, or ill-health, then I'm allowed to stall. I'm allowed to gain up to three pounds of the 42 I lost. I'm allowed to stall as long as I need to to recharge my batteries, but I have to keep on calorie counting as much as possible and eating at maintenance as much as possible so as not to undo my amazing achievement that I worked so hard for. What I'm not allowed to do is gain back the 42. If two or three go on - and they have -plenty of times, back on that deficit. This attitude works, for me. No more yo-yoing.
I wish everyone the best of luck in their journey. It is probably the hardest thing a person could do, it takes months and months and months and years sometimes, but it is worth it.0 -
I started over on January 12, before that I have one weight loss attempt here again last winter, using the same strategy, but two months in despite the results I gave up. I knew I was coming back though Down 11 lb or so, 85 to go.
Have you guys got any "lessons learnt" from your previous attempts? I see looking back I have a tendency to get a little too lax with myself and let my calorie goal creep up unchecked and I had not really made exercise an integral part of my life. Fixed those two by plotting my weight loss vs my intake so I can see the difference between eating enough and eating enough to stall, and by spending at least 30 mins being active (strength, cardio) 6 days out of 7. What about you, are you changing anything this time?0 -
Awww, thanks! I lost 60 lbs but gained it back by being dumb. Starting over, now a few pounds more than when I started the first time. Lesson learned.0
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Wiseandcurious wrote: »Have you guys got any "lessons learnt" from your previous attempts?
I think there's a success level you need to hit not to give up. I think that's where I went wrong before. I'd lose a bit, think "I'm still so fat and ugly, and I hate giving up all those lovely things - what's the point? I could be fat AND have a bottle of wine tonight" And I'd gain back to starting point. Then I joined a slimming group, and the support of others was just so encouraging and motivating, and I lost enough to start to feel really good about myself and to see massive changes in my overall health. Success breeds success. Allow yourself to have it!
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Thank you so much for this. I really needed it.
After losing over 40 pounds the first time around, and then gaining it all back (and then some), I didn't think I had it in me to go through it again. Once I realized I was heavier than when I first started, that all the hard work I had put into losing was all for nothing, the overwhelming feeling of failure became too much to deal with and I gave up. I gave up on everything... on weight loss, on myself, on life. I stopped going out because I was embarrassed for anyone to see me. I didn't even want to go to family functions because I was afraid they would judge me. Well, that lasted almost 2 years and here I am, ready to start over. I am done feeling sorry for myself. It was me who did this to myself, not anyone else, so it is only me who can fix it. I have to remember it won't happen overnight and not let that deter me. I have to allow bad days and mistakes to happen and just remember to move on from them instead of letting them hold me back. Most importantly, I have to start loving myself enough to know that I am worth the hard work because I am pretty freaking awesome!
Thank you to everyone for sharing your encouraging stories! You are all amazing!MolassesCoveredTurtle wrote: »Hey, all!
Thanks so much for all your "not giving up!" stories and snippets.
When I wrote the OP, I realized many people may relate to that from a viewpoint of weight loss.
For me, weight loss is not so much my focus. For certain reasons, I struggle with emotional eating as a coping mechanism to cover anger and sadness and to keep negative thoughts and feelings at bay.
For most of my life, I was unaware that this is what I've been doing.
Starting again, in terms of my own experience, means breaking the cycle of emotional eating by: 1) developing more awareness that I'm even doing it 2) acknowledging and accepting that, at this time, it still occasionally occurs and will continue to do so until I address the underlying issue and find suitable alternative coping strategies 3) develop and practice new coping strategies 4) being gentle and kind to myself, including positive self talk, when things feel hard and I feel slow and I want to cover up those negative feelings with food.
Something that someone recently told me that I found extremely helpful:
"The healing process is not linear, as much as we want it to be. It would be easier to move from one thing to the next and so on until we are healed. But instead, the healing process is more like going up a spiral staircase. You go around and around, moving through the same struggles again and again...but you are getting closer to where you want to be."
This was great for me, because it spoke to my own thoughts and experiences. Although I recognized I still have difficulties, I do have to stop every now and again to see how far I've come.
If you want to know more about my personal experiences, you can check out my profile. Within I reference two audiobooks that have become great resources for me.
And although many people have heard that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...not so many people think about how many of those miles are made up of:
- Wandering around because the traveler has no clue of where they are going...they only know they don't want to stay where they are.
- Retraced steps when the traveler hits a dead end and has to turn around.
- Retraced steps when the traveler unintentionally heads right back in the direction they came from, only to, sooner or later, figure out that is NOT where they want to head.
- Expanses of new, challenging and totally unfamiliar territory.
- Terrain that allows the traveler to exercise underutilized muscles and develop strength and surety.
And
- Hundreds of thousands of moments of decisions that may seem irrelevant at the time, but ultimately add up to being exactly what gets the traveler to where they are going.
Best to you all!
~M.C. Turtle
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Thank you, hurting today because I started the Jillian Michaels shred series this week, but I don't want to be skinny-fat. Going to take a stab at it again tonight!0 -
Amazing everyone.
Keep at it!
Know that you are not alone in struggling to make changes.
Know that you are alone in trying new things.
Know that there is a bunch of positive vibes out there swirling all around you.
Best to you!
~M.0 -
Hit the weights again after several days of not being able to make it. Glad to be back. Was much harder today. Needed more breaks but I did it!0
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That's what matters! I saw on my 8th workout thurs that the cardio was much less difficult after only 2 weeks of doing it. I'd call that an n s v! Also feel and see my backs of my arms tightening up and my hips of my pants looser! Keep it up!0
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I can't even count what "time" this is - 4th? 5th? But I've started over again as of a month ago and I've lost almost 20lbs so far. The hardest part is to be happy with the number I see on the scale versus what it was a month ago - and not tearing myself apart for all the weight I've lost so many times before. What got me every time was the minute I stopped logging calories, then a fear of the scale and consequences would begin. Slowly I am preparing myself to completely redefine my relationship with food (binge eater). I'm ready, let's do this!0
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Logging holds us accountable. I lost 2.4 lbs this week but after calculating my b m i realized that my goal needs to be 148 not 150 meaning I still have 30 to go despite losing almost 20 lbs before this... At my worst before using mfp I was 198! Yikes! Felt sad for a minute then said to myself this didn't happen overnight and progress is what I need to focus on. And sustainable loss. I want this to be the end of the yo yo. If I sustain I will be at goal by May . That's doable. What I'm scared about is the $ I'll have to spend on getting new clothes. I like my styles I wear and have a pretty big wardrobe between work and casual and going out stuff. But I decided I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it.0
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Slowly I am preparing myself to completely redefine my relationship with food (binge eater). I'm ready, let's do this!
It definitely takes time and awareness to do this but it is soooo worth it. As you change your relationship with food, make sure to look back and give yourself props for that progress. Sometimes it happens too slowly to really "see" the difference.
Best!
~M.C. Turtle
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How are you all doing guys? I hope most of us are still in!0
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Still going at it myself. Lost 10 lbs since end of December and now fighting a cold so not having unreasonable expectations for the next week. Just gonna eat mindfully while sick as exercise isn't going to happen while down for the count..0
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Restarting after months! I cant stand feeling unfit anymore! Ive tried so many things and its always just a dent in the numbers with me. But im really hoping this time around MFP, my fitbit, and new exercises and a new motivation will click in and work. Atleast Im back to try again!! Good luck to everyone youre all inspiring.
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Thanks for asking Wiseandcurious. Had/having a bout of emotional triggers and roadblocks. Learning how to navigate.0
Great effort!
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